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Servite's Valder wins Trinity League Tournament
WHITTIER – Preston Valder was down to his last chance, just 18 more holes in the one tournament that always seems to give him nothing but trouble.
Sure enough, the Servite senior hit some wayward shots Thursday at Candlewood Country Club, like his approach on the 14th that landed in the greenside bunker. He took a bogey-five on the hole.
But he rolled in a tricky 10-foot putt on the 17th to move into a tie for the lead and then birdied his first hole in the sudden-death playoff to win the Trinity League Individual championship. He carded a 2-over-par 72, the lowest score posted in the final round and finished the 36-hole event with a 6-over 146, which put him in a tie with the first-round leader, Santa Margarita senior Kevin DeHuff.
Valder is the third Friar in a row to finish first in the event, following Greg Garcia (2009) and Patrick Cantlay (2010).
“This was a big goal of mine at the start of the season,” Valder said, “and then move on to bigger and better things in CIF.”
The top seven players advanced to the CIF-SS Southern Regional, which will be held at Skylinks in Long Beach on May 16. This is the first time Valder has qualified for the CIF tournament during his four-year varsity career at Servite.
He would have made it as a freshman under the current rules, but at that time only six players moved on and he finished seventh, one stroke off the cut line.
Beau Hossler held the lead alone as the final group teed off on the 17th, but he walked off the green with a three-putt bogey, handing a share of first place to Valder.
Hossler, though, was the only player in his foursome to par the 18th and not card either an eagle or a birdie. He finished third with a 7-over 147.
Brain Campbell was the one with the eagle. The Mater Dei senior set it up when he drove the green on the 283-yard finishing hole.
Michael Bonicatto (Servite), Campbell, Matt Murphy (Santa Margarita) and Stephan Jasper (JSerra) rounded out the top seven Thursday and earned a tee time at the Southern Individual Regional. Jasper is the first player in JSerra history to make it to CIF.
“Preston deserves it. He played so great during the whole round today,” DeHuff said. “He totally deserves it. He’s never made it past this to CIF. He didn’t let the round get to him. It was a lot of fun. I will remember this for a long time.”
That’s understandable after he holed what seemed to be an impossible up-and-down on the 18th, which put him in the playoff with Valder.
DeHuff pulled his drive to the right and it sailed over some trees and landed in the rough. He was left with about 30 yards to green, and he opened up the face on his 60-degree wedge and hoisted the ball over the branches that were in his way, and he came within inches of holing his second shot for an eagle.
He ended up with a 35-foot putt with a considerable amount of right-to-left break, but he knocked the ball in for a birdie to come in with a 5-over-par 75, which combined with his opening-round 71 put him in a tie for first.
He missed his birdie putt in sudden death, and had to settle for second place in the tournament for the second year in a row.
“I can’t complain, though, I finished how I wanted to. Sure there are some shots out there that I let get away from me,” DeHuff said. “My game feels good, and I am looking forward to what’s next.”
Court Lewis (Servite) and Blake Barens (Orange Lutheran) were both disqualified because they mistakenly played each other’s ball on the 14th, and then teed off with the wrong ball on the 15th.
Lewis entered the final round in a tie for second, one shot off the lead. Barens was tied for eighth at the start of the day.
